FoodBev Media's Hannah Oakman recently visited the busy Caffé Culture show at London's Olympia.

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• Vitafoods Europe 2013, in pictures
• FoodBev Media visits Asset Water Technology in Italy

Tetra Pak has received the first DuPont Continuing Innovation Award, which is awarded to winners of five or more previous DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation throughout the programme's 25-year history.

The award honours the consistent leadership demonstrated by Tetra Pak in packaging innovation over the last quarter-century.

"Since the company's foundation over 60 years ago, Tetra Pak has constantly driven packaging innovation with a view to making food safe and available for people everywhere," said Michael Grosse, executive VP of development and service operations at Tetra Pak. "We are delighted to receive this award from DuPont in recognition of our achievements. We are committed to remaining at the cutting edge of the industry."

The DuPont Awards for Packaging Innovation is the industry's longest-running, global, independently judged celebration of innovation and collaboration throughout the value chain.

Each year, an esteemed panel awards diamond, gold or silver honours based on 'excellence' in one or all of three categories: innovation, sustainabilit; and cost/waste reduction. This year, the independent judges granted one diamond, four gold and 10 silver awards for packaging in a diverse set of markets.

• See also The story behind the world’s first aseptic carton bottle.

Pom-Bear's new cheese-flavoured Zoo snacks from Intersnack UK will hit UK supermarket shelves in June.

With an RRP of £1.59 for a multipack of six, each pack has a selection of animal shapes inside.

• See also Pom-Bear brand achieves impressive growth.

The Australian Ice Cream sector will show reasonable growth over the next five years, says a Canadean report, particularly in volume, thanks to positive growth across all categories for value and volume between 2012 and 2017.

The sector's value will grow at a CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 2.2% and volume will grow at a CAGR of 3.6%.

Take Home Ice Cream took the majority share of the market in 2012 in value and volume terms, with a 58.1% and 55.6% share respectively. Impulse Ice Cream followed, with a value share of 21.7% and a volume share of 28.3%, and Artisanal Ice Cream made up the rest of the sector, with a 20.2% value and a 16.0% volume share for the same year.

Artisanal Ice Cream will show the most growth of the three categories over the next five years, with value and volume growing ahead of the sector as a whole, at CAGRs of 2.3% and 3.8% respectively, to 2017.

In the same period, Take Home Ice Cream will grow more than Impulse Ice Cream in terms of value and volume, with a value CAGR of 2.2% and volume CAGR of 3.7% to Impulse Ice Cream's value CAGR of 2.0% and volume CAGR of 3.5% between 2012 and 2017.

Source: Canadean

• See also A revealing look at the Japanese ice cream sector.

Cloetta has acquired the British candy company Goody Good Stuff. The acquisition is in line with Cloetta's strategy to broaden the product range within the growing segment of natural candy.

"Acquisitions are a part of our growth strategy and Goody Good Stuff gives us a possibility to strengthen our product offer within an interesting segment," said Bengt Baron, CEO Cloetta. "The products from Goody Good Stuff can be consumed by everyone, as it is a natural candy free from allergens. This is a segment where we see increased consumer demand and where Cloetta can play an important role."

Goody Good Stuff is in a growth phase and has recently signed a nationwide distribution agreement with one of the leading convenience stores in the US.

Sales amounted to approximately SEK 10m in 2012. Goody Good Stuff was launched in 2010 and has its core markets in the UK and US.

Cloetta acquired Goody Good Stuff from a group of investors for an undisclosed amount. The acquisition will have a limited effect on Cloetta's future operating profit, and the purchase price is insignificant compared to the market value of Cloetta.

• See also Cloetta to close factory in Gävle.

HB Fuller Company has signed an agreement to purchase adhesives company Plexbond Quimica, a provider of chemical polyurethane specialties and polyester resins.

• HB Fuller signs agreement with Plexbond Quimica, 16 March.

This business generated nearly $20m in revenue for the 2012 fiscal year and operates a manufacturing facility in Curitiba, Brazil.

"With this acquisition, we will take a step forward on two important elements of our strategic plan," said Jim Owens, president and CEO, HB Fuller, "establishing a manufacturing presence in Brazil and accelerating our growth in the flexible packaging market.

"HB Fuller has a strategic focus on three core areas – packaging, hygiene and durable assembly – and the Plexbond Quimica business will bring us capabilities that we can leverage globally in the important packaging market.

"The Plexbond Quimica team has deep market knowledge and local manufacturing capabilities that are new to HB Fuller, and the enhanced product portfolio and expertise of our combined businesses will enable us to partner more closely with customers and to grow in South America and around the globe."

• See also HB Fuller acquires Forbo's industrial adhesives business.

Valensina Saft-Limonade No1 is a lemonade with an especially high juice content. It's also the first Valensina product in a beverage can.

The premium lemonade is available in orange and lemon flavours and is filled in 33cl beverage cans in the trendy 'sleek' format. The manufacturer of the cans is Ball Packaging Europe.

"We have put a lot of work into analysing the potential expansion fields of our Valensina brand over the past few months," said MD Tino Mocken. "We are confident that the Valensina Saft-Limonade No1, combined with the beverage can, will delight quality conscious and epicurean young adults, and considerably expand the attractiveness of the premium lemonade category in the retail segment."

• See also Releasing the fizzy beast in the beverage aisle.

Marks & Spencer recently named Pork Farms Group as the winner of its Premium Food Award for the new hot eating runny-centred Scotch egg product, sold as the 'M&S Gastropub Runny Poached Scotch Egg'.

M&S selected Pork Farms Group for the award in recognition of the company's outstanding product innovation and consistently high product quality delivered since the Gastropub egg launched in stores last year.

The egg has a perfectly runny centre that maintains its runny yolk even when reheated – an innovation achieved by developing a unique and highly specialised process.

Matt Dawson, M&S product developer, said: "The Gastropub Runny Poached Scotch Egg has allowed us to offer our consumers a reinvention of the Scotch egg. In supplying the product to us, Pork Farms has shown the rare ability to combine truly ground-breaking innovation with the consistent quality that our customers expect. It tastes great and scores a perfect 10 in our consumer taste tests."

Chris Peters, MD of Pork Farms, said: "At Pork Farms Group, innovation, excellent product quality and strong customer relationships form three of the central pillars of our business. This M&S award gives us particular pride as it reflects great strength in all three areas."

• See also Eggs contain more vitamin D and fewer calories, says data.

Global design consultancy Fitch has shared the findings of sister agency Millward Brown's BrandZ Top 100. This is regarded as one of the world's most comprehensive brand valuation guides.

Beer improved 36%, the greatest percentage brand value rise of all categories. Beer brands showed strength in most markets, particularly the BRICs.

Fast food increased 5%. Flat customer traffic in the US, along with economic pressure in Europe and slower growth in the BRICs, reduced the rate of increase from 15% a year ago.

Soft drinks rose 5%, following a rise of only 1% a year ago. The change in value reflects effective brand marketing and the ongoing popularity of energy and sports drinks. But because the category was redefined to be more inclusive this year, results are not completely comparable.

The top 10 most valuable global brands

Brand followed by brand value.

1. Apple ($185,071m)
2. Google ($113,669m)
3. IBM ($112,536m)
4. McDonald's ($90,256m)
5. Coca-Cola ($78,415m)
6. AT&T ($75,507m)
7. Microsoft ($69,814m)
8. Marlboro ($69,383m)
9. Visa ($56,060m)
10. China Mobile ($55,368m).

The top 10 most valuable food & drink brands

1. McDonald's ($90,256m)
2. Coca-Cola ($78,415m)
3. Walmart ($36,220m)
4. Budweiser ($20,297m)
5. Starbucks ($17,892m)
6. Subway ($16,691m)
7. Tesco ($16,303m)
8. Moutai ($12,193m)
9. Pepsi ($12,029m)
10. Red Bull ($10,558m).

Source: Fitch

• See also The world's top 5 beverage brands.

A big focus at Vitafoods Europe 2013 was on probiotics and how they can help combat stomach acids and 'metabolic syndrome' caused by stress and diet-related problems.

This is something all too familiar in today's highly pressured society. Eating the wrong things at the wrong time can upset the digestive system, causing pain, acid erosion and the medical condition known as IBS (irritable bowel syndrome). Almost all of us know someone who suffers from this.

Geoff Collins of Clasado was keen to tell me about a paper recently published in The Journal of Nutrition on the second generation prebiotic Bimuno.

A patented GOS (Galacto oligosaccharide) mixture produced from dairy lactose, it uses a proprietary enzyme system from the probiotic organism Bifidobacterium bifidum, the predominant species in the gut of healthy breast-fed infants.

This is highly selective towards beneficial bacteria and has been shown to have the most powerful bifidogenic effect of any commercially available prebiotic.

It supports digestive health in healthy individuals and IBS sufferers, and has a positive effect on the immune system of the elderly and overweight individuals.

Available for commercial use as Bimuno syrup and powder, for food and supplements. (Self-affirmed GRAS status.)

Geoff explained the difference between prebiotics and probiotics, and talked more about this latest scientific study and approvals, in a video interview, which we'll publish very soon. Watch this space!

• See also Vitafoods Europe 2013, in pictures.

Zeo from Freedrinks is expanding its range with three new variants called Burst, Crush and Zest.

Global branding and design agency Blue Marlin has created packaging for the new range, which will be available from May in UK bars, as well as in retailers from supermarket to high-end department stores, including Harvey Nichols.

Blue Marlin was the creative agency behind the first incarnation of Zeo, which launched last summer.

"Rather than relying as much on the subtleties of mystery and sensuality, which were so prevalent in Zeo's market debut, the new design focuses on bold standout and the intriguing origin of the drink," said Blue Marlin London creative director Simon Pendry.

Freedrinks CEO Martin Hall said: "Zeo's launch sets out the intent of Freedrinks Ltd, whose aim is to bring innovation into the soft drinks market. Blue Marlin has been one of our partners from the very beginning. With expertise and commitment, they've helped the Zeo brand communicate its unique offer, style and story with a stunning, beautiful design."

• See also Blue Marlin voted Best Design Agency in FoodBev.com Awards.

Francis Ford Coppola has swept the boards at the 'Oscars of the drinks world', winning 26 awards.

A claret and a shiraz made by Francis Ford Coppola's vineyard achieved judges' top mark of 'gold outstanding' at the International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC).

IWSC's head of sales and marketing, Anna Grant, said: "Of the 3,000 plus medals awarded by judges this year, only 43 were 'gold outstanding'. The fact that Francis Ford Coppola's winery took two of them is an incredible achievement."

The highest-scored winning wines from the Californian winery were a 2011 Diamond Collection Claret and a Rosso & Bianco Shiraz 2011.

Other Ford Coppola wines notched up a further 24 medals, including two golds, five 'silver outstandings', 15 silvers and two bronzes.

The vineyard's Emily Putman said: "We're delighted that Coppola wines were so well received in this year's International Wine & Spirits Competition. It's a true testament to our winemaker Corey Beck and his team's dedication and passion for winemaking."

Results were released at the London International Wine Fair on 20 May.

• See also Oscars-themed wines from Francis Ford Coppola Winery.

Super!Natural, Scotland's first and only 100% pure and natural energy drink, will now be available from outlets across the UK having secured a number of new listings.

Listings include:

• The Cress Company, based in Dunfermline
• Mercia Fine Foods, based in Worcestershire
• online retailer Spark Etail
• Pinks Fine Foods from Northamptonshire
• Gordon & MacPhail, malt whisky specialist.

The drink launched in April 2013 and is developed in the Scottish Highlands.

• See also A gallery of new drinks for April 2013.

UK cider brand Orchard Pig achieved first place and was awarded the 'Best Wine in Show' award at Laithwaites' Vintage Wine Festival in London recently.

Voted for by the wine-loving festival goers, Orchard Pig's Truffler – a classic Somerset dry cider – won the award for Best Wine in Show despite being the only cider at the festival.

Andrew Quinlan, co-founder of Orchard Pig, said: "Truffler certainly stands out against other premium drinks, even when battling classy wines. Wine drinkers are rapidly converting to the cider category and with good reason. Because of its great taste, our ciders have lots to offer wine drinkers."

• See also Orchard Pig product update by Blue Marlin.

Seamless North America and GrubHub Inc have announced the signing of a definitive agreement to merge two of the nation's premier services for ordering takeout.

The combined organisation will enable diners and companies in more than 500 cities across the US to order from more than 20,000 local takeout restaurants.

In 2012, the online and mobile platforms of the two organisations sent approximately $875m in gross food sales to local takeout restaurants, resulting in combined revenue well in excess of $100m.

GrubHub co-founder and CEO Matt Maloney will serve as CEO of the new organisation, and Seamless CEO Jonathan Zabusky will serve as president.

GrubHub and Seamless shareholders will both have significant representation on the combined company's board of directors. Brian McAndrews, an independent director on the Seamless board prior to this transaction, will serve as chairman of the new, combined board.

The merger is subject to regulatory approval.

• See also US delivery and frozen pizza market is thriving, says report.

Steve Plotnicki and Opinionated About Dining have unveiled a list of top US restaurants by cuisine.

Following the announcement of the Top 100 US Restaurants in March, Opinionated About Dining further refined the more than 100,000 reviews to reveal the country's best dining-by-type of food in the following regions and categories.

Cuisine first, then restaurant, then location.

• American Regional – Restaurant Eugene (Atlanta)
• Asian – Benu (San Francisco)
• Bistros/Gastropubs – Le Pigeon (Portland, Oregon)
• Farm to Table – Blue Hill at Stone Barns (Pocantico Hills, New York)
• French – The French Laundry (Yountville)
• Italian Fine Dining – Quince (San Francisco)
• Japanese – Urasawa (Beverly Hills)
• New American – The Restaurant at Meadowood (St Helena)
• Progressive – Alinea (Chicago)
• Steak & Seafood – Peter Luger (Brooklyn, New York)
• Greek/Spanish/Med – Komi (Washington DC)
• Trattorias – Osteria Mozza (Hollywood).

"With terrific new restaurants opening in every region of the country, the dining scene in the US is as good, if not better, than what you can find in any other country on the world," said Plotnicki.

• See also The top 10 best restaurants in the world in 2013.

KeHE Distributors will expand non-ambient warehouse space within its US system to keep pace with rapid growth in its fresh and frozen product categories.

In addition to this expansion, KeHE is implementing technology and infrastructure enhancements that will enable ongoing quality improvements in its distribution centres.

Distribution centres impacted include Dallas (Texas), St Augustine (Florida), Ft Lauderdale (Florida) and Romeoville (Illinois).

"We are excited that our ability to 'Make on-trend easy' for our retailers is contributing to our growth and more importantly our valued retail customers' growth," said Gene Carter, KeHE's executive vice president of distribution. "The expansion of our national distribution infrastructure for our fresh category growth was anticipated, and while we are pleased with our progress in providing operationally excellent services, we are never satisfied with our results."

KeHE's distribution centre in Dallas will double the size of its freezer and cooler space. Ft Lauderdale will increase its frozen capacity to four times the current capacity and will double its cooler space. Finally, KeHE's distribution centre in Romeoville will increase its non-ambient space by 30%, which will allow KeHE to expand its bulk food product offering and begin shipping this rapidly growing category of products from the Romeoville warehouse.

• See also Campbell to expand production and distribution in Mexico.

The Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University has honoured Howard Schultz, Starbucks Coffee Company chairman, president and CEO, with the 2013 Kellogg Award for Distinguished Leadership.

Schultz was selected for the award by the Kellogg School student body in recognition of his entrepreneurial spirit and transformation of Starbucks into a business with a social conscience.

Kellogg School MBA student Matt Kinn nominated Schultz for the award.

• See also Starbucks launches first community store outside of the US.

One was a growing US debate about the possible requirement of caffeine content labelling, and even a recommended daily caffeine intake cap of 400mg.

The other was a headline that Caffeine proves vital ingredient in scientists' human cloning breakthrough.

Apparently, caffeine was needed to turn patient skin cells back into embryonic stem cells.

John Moloney, Glanbia Group MD, has notified the board that he wishes to retire from this role and from the board by the end of 2013, having been due to retire in 2014.

Siobhán Talbot, group finance director, has been appointed as John Moloney's successor. She will become Group MD Designate from 1 June 2013 to ensure a smooth transition of the leadership of the Group.

Glanbia will announce the appointment of a new group finance director in due course.

Glanbia also announces the following appointments and organisational changes effective from 1 June 2013:

• Hugh McGuire is appointed to the board as an executive director with responsibility for global performance nutrition.
• Brian Phelan, who was appointed to the board on 1 January 2013 as an executive director will take up the role of chief executive officer of global ingredients, a newly formed business segment incorporating the US cheese business, as well as Global Nutritionals' Ingredient Technologies and Customised Premix Solutions.
• Billy Murphy, non-executive director, will retire from the board on 1 June 2013 having served 24 years. He joined the Group in 1977 and was deputy MD from 2001 to 2005.

• See also Glanbia members approve share spin-out and sale.

Cadbury in the UK has launched a new product called Cadbury Crunchums – a snack of crispy cereal bites coated in Cadbury chocolate.

Following on from Cadbury Popcorn and Cadbury Pretzels, Cadbury Crunchums are part of a similar breed of quirky snacks from Mondelēz International.

Mondelēz is performing strongly in the chocolate bags category, which is now worth £378.4m and is growing at 16.5% year-on-year. Cadbury brands are 26.7% share of the category and is seeking to improve its performance with the new Crunchums range.

Crunchums will be supported by a £1.3m UK marketing investment in 2013, including outdoor advertising, sampling, PR, social media, digital campaigns and in-store activity.

Available across the UK from June 2013, and the new 105g bag is priced at £2.03 (RRP).

• See also Cadbury creates funfair to promote Marvellous Creations.

Tate & Lyle has acquired Biovelop, a Swedish manufacturer of oat beta glucan.

Operating from a production facility in Kimstad, Sweden, Biovelop produces oat beta glucan under the brand name PromOat for use in the food, beverage and supplement markets, and under the brand name Avenacare for use in the cosmetics industry.

In addition, it produces a range of other oat-based ingredients including PrOATein (oat protein), oat dextrin and insoluble oat fibre. Biovelop's products are manufactured from non-GMO oats sourced from within Sweden using a chemical-free process.

Beta glucan is a soluble fibre which has widely approved health claims, including EFSA, for lowering cholesterol and reducing post-prandial glycaemic response.

Biovelop is a relatively early stage business having been founded in 2005 and made its first sale of commercial product in 2010.

Olivier Rigaud, president, speciality food ingredients for Tate & Lyle, said: "We are delighted to welcome the Biovelop business and its employees to Tate & Lyle. The addition of Biovelop's soluble oat beta glucan, supported by strong scientific health claims, represents an excellent addition to Tate & Lyle's existing fibres and health and wellness portfolios."

• See also David Peters talks about PromOat in Oatworks range.

A selection of images from Vitafoods Europe 2013, which took place at Palexpo in Geneva, Switzerland. Photos by Claire Phoenix.

If you can't see the gallery below, it means you're not able to view embedded Flash-based Flickr slideshows. Instead, click here to view the gallery.

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This set of images was created in Flickr. The FoodBev.com Flickr channel showcases some of the most popular events in the food & drink industry calendar, and showcases food and drink products from around the world. If you would like to see more, click here.

See more galleries:

• London Coffee Festival 2013, in pictures
• The 2013 InnoBev Sustainability Awards, in pictures
• Natural & Organic Products Europe 2013, in pictures
• NutraFormulate 2013, in pictures

FoodBev Media's Hannah Oakman visited Italian mains-fed water cooler manufacturer Asset, to view its latest innovations and find out the company's expansion plans in 2013. Photos by Hannah Oakman.

If you can't see the gallery below, it means you're not able to view embedded Flash-based Flickr slideshows. Instead, click here to view the gallery.

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This set of images was created in Flickr. The FoodBev.com Flickr channel showcases some of the most popular events in the food & drink industry calendar, and showcases food and drink products from around the world. If you would like to see more, click here.

See more galleries:

• London Coffee Festival 2013, in pictures
• The 2013 InnoBev Sustainability Awards, in pictures
• Natural & Organic Products Europe 2013, in pictures

The former MD of Seabrook Crisps has launched his own range of crisps. John Tague, who took Seabrooks from £11m turnover to £30m, has created Tags Tasty Crisps.

So far, the range is made up of 125g Premium Hand Cooked Potato Chips in three flavours: Malt Vinegar & Sea Salt, Sweet Chilli and Mature Cheddar & Red Onion, and 25g Potato Crisps that come in multipacks of six and three flavours: Salt & Vinegar, Cheese & Onion and Ready Salted.

Both RSP at £1.69, though for a limited period they are on offer for £1 in Poundland in the UK.

"We have created a unique new brand to challenge the more established brands in the market," said John Tague. "Our crisps are produced using the finest ingredients to ensure you always experience products that are bursting with great flavour and taste.

"The products we have launched so far are only the start of our journey as a family business. Over the coming months, we intend to introduce further flavours and extend into other snack products."

• See also Which nation eats the most crisps?